<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/image_2021-08-29_142549.png"></figure><h1>Brandon Ingram, not Zion Williamson, is the key to Pelicans success</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-28T23:28:11-07:00">August 28th, 11:28pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-28T23:28:11-07:00">August 28th, 11:28pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans have been the team on the cusp for what feels like forever. But now entering year three of the Zion Williamson era, it’s very much a make or break season for the team.</p><p>There are many unanswered questions left on the Pelicans, but Zion Williamson is not one of them. He’s barely played over a full 82-game season and yet he’s already shown a level of dominance that rivals some of the NBA’s best superstars today. 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/stats">per game</a> through what basically feels like one full NBA season is astounding.</p><h2><b>Zion Williamson’s insanely consistent dominance</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Zion-Williamson-Pelicans.jpg"></figure><p>Williamson in many ways looks destined for the path of the safe-bet superstar for the Pelicans. Think Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, and Shaquille O’Neal. These guys are going to put up their numbers virtually no matter what thanks to their imposing physical dominance.</p><p>While high-scoring guards like Damian Lillard and James Harden can post performances that rapidly fluctuate from one game to the next, Zion Williamson will remain steady and undeterred to post his 25 points every single night.</p><p>That’s exactly what he proved last season. In the <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/willizi01/gamelog/2021">last 41 games</a> he played for the Pelicans, the exact equivalent of half an NBA season, he only dipped below 20 points one time, a 16 point performance against the Brooklyn Nets. Even that game was an anomaly since he played just 22 minutes after it turned into a blowout affair early.</p><p>Think about how insanely consistent and unstoppable you’d have to be to pull off a feat like that. Neither Giannis, LeBron, nor Stephen Curry even came close to that level of consistency. Neither did fellow big men Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, the MVP and runner-up last season. Trust me, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01/gamelog/2021">I checked</a> <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01/gamelog/2021">each of</a> <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/e/embiijo01/gamelog/2021">their</a> <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jokicni01/gamelog/2021">game</a> <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01/gamelog/2021">logs.</a></p><h2><b>The Pelicans need you, Brandon Ingram</b></h2><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/pelicans-news-zion-williamsons-big-offseason-plan-to-bring-title-to-new-orleans.jpg"></figure><p>The fact of the matter is Zion Williamson is going to produce for the Pelicans, no matter the matchup or level of opponent. When you have a table-setter like that, you’ve got a solid foundation. It’s the peripheral stars around him that need to bring it for the team to succeed. We’ve seen it with Giannis in Milwaukee, LeBron during his first Cleveland stint, and Shaq back when he was with the Magic.</p><p>Each of those superstars faced the same type of adversity early in their careers. And while all were great enough to win a title down the road, just as Zion Williamson seems destined to one day, two of them had to leave the team that drafted them to do it.</p><p>That’s what makes Brandon Ingram so crucial for the Pelicans. Beyond Zion Williamson, there is no player on the roster who possesses the level of superstar talent necessary to elevate the team other than Ingram. If he could morph into Zion’s own version of what Khris Middleton is to Giannis, then they may have something brewing.</p><p>But if he turns out to be more like Penny Hardaway, who showed flashes of stardom but fizzled out, in his case via injury, then Zion Williamson could leave the Pelicans in search for the superstar teammate who can match him.</p><p>Brandon Ingram is just about to enter his age-24 season. He already has an All-Star selection and five years of NBA experience under his belt. He’s got all the tools to make it work this season with a bona fide All-NBA talent alongside him. If the Pelicans don’t figure it out this season with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, then they might not get many more chances given this new era of player empowerment.</p><p>There are only two things assured for the Pels next season. Zion Williamson is going to get his buckets every night and it’s going to be a wild ride in New Orleans next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Brandon Ingram, not Zion Williamson, is the key to Pelicans success

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Proof-Brandon-Ingram-trade-rumors-are-overblown.jpeg"></figure><h1>Proof Pelicans star Brandon Ingram trade rumors are overblown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-30T17:45:59-07:00">June 30th, 5:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-30T17:45:59-07:00">June 30th, 5:45pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans missed the playoffs in 2020-2021 and now face some serious <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-best-options-for-pelicans-at-no-10-in-2021-nba-draft/">decisions</a> regarding their future. They let Stan Van Gundy and are still searching for a new head coach. Trade buzz has swirled regarding Zion Williamson, although he isn’t likely going anywhere. Trade talks have also focused on Brandon Ingram.</p><p>However, there is some evidence that might show that Ingram is unlikely to go elsewhere, at least according to the latest by <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcJSpears/status/1410389721067376640">Marc Spears of The Undefeated. </a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A good sign for Brandon Ingram’s future in New Orleans was him attending Game 5 of Clippers-Suns playoffs series with Pelicans GM Trajon Langdon. The Pelicans have several more interviews before hiring a head coach, a source told <a href="https://twitter.com/TheUndefeated?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@TheUndefeated</a>. Ownership hasn’t met a candidate.</p><p>— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcJSpears/status/1410389721067376640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>To be honest, Ingram staying in touch and going to games with the Pelicans GM is a huge sign of his vote of confidence for the organization, regardless of the rumors out there.</p><p>Ingram is a young star and the pairing of him and Zion Williamson is one of the best in the NBA. Lonzo Ball is set to hit the market and should command big money, and the Pelicans can’t afford to waste any time with Ingram and Williamson together.</p><p>As they await the decision on their head coach, it will be interesting to see what they do as far as the roster is concerned. For now, this bodes well for Ingram and the Pelicans’ chances of keeping him on board for the future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Proof Pelicans star Brandon Ingram trade rumors are overblown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/did-the-sixers-make-a-mistake-drafting-ben-simmons-over-brandon-ingram-jamal-murray-jaylen-brown.jpeg"></figure><h1>Did the Sixers make a mistake drafting Ben Simmons over Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray, Jaylen Brown?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-21T18:07:37-07:00">June 21st, 6:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-21T18:07:37-07:00">June 21st, 6:07pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_2016.html">date</a> is June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center. The top prospects of the collegiate level and overseas have gathered with their hopes of being selected during the NBA Draft. Going in, the top three choices– in no order– were <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/ben-simmons/b7cf09aa">Ben Simmons</a>, Brandon Ingram, and Jaylen Brown, with Dragan Bender a sleeper international prospect and Kentucky star Jamal Murray making a late surge. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers</a> had the top pick.</p><p>Well, the Sixers, right in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/process-over-why-the-sixers-should-consider-blowing-up-their-roster-this-offseason/">thick</a> of <i>The Process</i>, selected Ben Simmons, a point guard out of Louisiana State University. Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown went second and third, respectively, and nobody batted an eye.</p><p>Fast forward almost five years to the exact date, and Simmons is under fire after a disastrous playoff performance and another early exit for the Sixers after they lost to the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/atlanta-hawks">Atlanta Hawks</a> in a seven-game, second-round series. Sure, the Hawks played terrifically, and sure, the Sixers were missing Danny Green, but Simmons has been at the brunt end of the blame, especially after his free throw struggles stole the show.</p><p>With that being said, the question remains: Did the Sixers make a mistake taking Ben Simmons with the top choice?</p><p>The answer is simple: <b>NO. </b></p><p>Yes, I am well aware that Simmons was awful in the playoff run, but at the time, Simons was the clear-cut No.1 choice, and it wasn’t even a debate. His highlights and tape from LSU show exactly why he was easily lauded as the top choice.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="de">Ben Simmons at LSU <a href="https://t.co/VRsjoYF89j" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/VRsjoYF89j</a></p><p>— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) <a href="https://twitter.com/CWilliamson44/status/1407047769420873729?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>A guy his size who could do things like THAT? Yes, sign me up, and the Sixers believed every bit. With all due respect to Ingram and Brown, Simmons was the best coming out of college that specific year.</p><p>In hindsight, it is always easy to look back and say the team made a mistake, but at the time, it was the right choice. Remember Anthony Bennett going first overall? How about Greg Oden?</p><p>Looking back, those picks look awful. At that exact moment, they were home run picks. Bennett was sensational in college, and Oden was a man against boys at Ohio State.</p><p>That is why general managers and NBA front office personnel have such difficult jobs, and that is why the NBA Draft is always a hit-or-miss situation. Either way, Simmons was a finalist for DPOY and was named an All-Star, so don’t give up just yet.</p><p>He has been through a pair of head coaches and multiple different players next to him. Rest assured, Simmons did not perform well in the playoffs, and there is always reasoning to be upset with him. However, the Sixers made the right choice at the time, and if Simmons can improve his game, he can fully blossom into the All-Star and defensive standout he was in the regular season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Did the Sixers make a mistake drafting Ben Simmons over Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray, Jaylen Brown?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/nba-news-chauncey-billups-shocking-ben-simmons-brandon-ingram-comments-from-2016-look-great-now.jpg"></figure><h1>Chauncey Billups’ shocking Ben Simmons-Brandon Ingram comments from 2016 look great now</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-17T17:23:35-07:00">June 17th, 5:23pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-17T17:24:17-07:00">June 17th, 5:24pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Back in 2016, during the build-up to the NBA Draft, Chauncey Billups came out with a rather controversial take on the whole <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/ben-simmons/b7cf09aa">Ben Simmons</a> situation. Five years later and it looks like Billups’ hot take has aged quite well.</p><p>At that point in time, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers</a> had the first overall pick for the coming draft. The general belief was that the Sixers were going to select Simmons first overall. In his mind, however, Billups <a href="https://twitter.com/Tanner_McTanner/status/1405647899015323648">thought</a> this was not the right move to make:</p><blockquote>“No, I don’t think so,” Billups responded sternly when asked if he thought the Sixers were right to tank for the opportunity to select Simmons as the first overall pick. “I don’t even know if I would take him with the No. 1 pick right now.”</blockquote><p>When asked who he would rather use the first overall pick on over Simmons, Billups answered adamantly that Brandon Ingram is the better option.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chauncey Billups was right all along <a href="https://t.co/LABvKq4Zir" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/LABvKq4Zir</a></p><p>— Tanner McTanner (@Tanner_McTanner) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tanner_McTanner/status/1405647899015323648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Half a decade on and Billups’ statement appears to be quite accurate. Simmons has been taking a lot of heat of late for how the Sixers have struggled in the second round against the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/atlanta-hawks">Atlanta Hawks</a>. Unfortunately for him, he’s emerged as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ben-simmons-is-in-danger-of-playing-his-way-into-a-trade-away-from-the-sixers/">scapegoat</a> for Philly.</p><p>Then again, it’s hard to deny that Simmons still remains to be one of the top guards in the NBA today. The Sixers would not be where they are right now without him. Now whether or not the organization made the right decision of taking Ben Simmons over Brandon Ingram in 2016 is something that we can not determine. It’s definitely worth talking about, though.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chauncey Billups’ shocking Ben Simmons-Brandon Ingram comments from 2016 look great now

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pelicans-Brandon-Ingram-Stan-Van-Gundy.jpeg"></figure><h1>Brandon Ingram potentially responsible for Stan Van Gundy’s firing after one season with Pels</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-16T09:38:45-07:00">June 16th, 9:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-16T09:38:45-07:00">June 16th, 9:38am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-news-new-orleans-fires-stan-van-gundy-1-season/">fired</a> head coach Stan Van Gundy after just one season on Wednesday. Brandon Ingram might have played a role in SVG’s dismissal.</p><p><a href="https://www.nola.com/sports/pelicans/article_a42c8c30-c970-11eb-80a3-4317f063a7bb.html">Christian Clark of Nola.com</a> reported Ingram’s relationship with Van Gundy was on unstable ground for the majority of the season:</p><blockquote>Van Gundy’s relationship with All-Star forward Brandon Ingram was strained for a majority of the season, multiple sources said.</blockquote><p>Zion Williamson might be the true franchise cornerstone in New Orleans, but Ingram is every bit as important to the Pelicans organization.</p><p>Ingram seemed to finally realize his immense potential in his first season with the Pelicans, averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest during the 2019-20 season. He made his first All-Star team and promptly signed a five-year max extension this past November.</p><p>Ingram and the Pelicans entered the 2020-21 season with playoff expectations, but they struggled to build any momentum in a crowded Western Conference.</p><p>On the surface, Ingram had another strong season. He averaged 23.8 points for the second straight season and also had an identical effective field goal percentage (.531). However, there were times where he appeared downright passive and hardly seemed to touch the ball in big moments.</p><p>The Pelicans face some questions in the offseason, notably what they will do with Lonzo Ball, who is a restricted free agent. Ball might not be back in New Orleans next season, but Ingram remains as one of the two franchise centerpieces.</p><p>It seems likely the Pelicans will seek out Ingram’s input after failing miserably in their last search for a new head coach.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
23.8	4.9	4.9	0.6	0.7

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
23.8	4.9	4.9	0.6	0.7

Brandon Ingram

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Chauncey Billups’ shocking Ben Simmons-Brandon Ingram comments from 2016 look great now

Brandon Ingram potentially responsible for Stan Van Gundy’s firing after one season with Pels

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